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Was Michael Jordan's First Retirement for Gambling?

When: 10/6/1993

One of the biggest NBA myths known to man, is that the reason Michael Jordan retired the first time was because the NBA was investigating his gambling habits and were going to discipline him. Nobody seems to really have any sort of legit source for this rumor, but in the summer of 1993 it was widely publicised that Jordan was a major gambler. So, the story went along with that part of him. Why else would MJ retire at the peak of his powers unless he had to?

Verdict: We have to say that his first retirement was not due to an impending gambling scandal. Yes, he racked up his fair share of gambling debts and might have had a bit of a problem, but after his father's death Jordan's love for the game did fade. It was a draining experience for him and one could see why he would decide to retire and pick up baseball in his dad's honor. Besides, if Stern started disciplining dudes for gambling we might not have had the epic Gilbert Arenas versus Javaris Crittenton showdown.